Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Jobs-rich firms consider Solano sites

FAIRFIELD — The Solano Economic Development
Corporation hosted visits from two firms that could bring more than 1,000 new
jobs to the county, and is involved in the location search for two food or
beverage manufacturing companies as well.

Sandy Person, the agency’s executive director,
listed the contacts as part of her weekly update of the group’s activities.

“We are excited about the activities . .
. and we are getting a bigger volume of businesses looking at all the
opportunities that Solano has to offer,” Person said in a phone interview
Tuesday.

“Solano is perfectly placed for companies to
expand and scale their operations and stay close to the Bay Area,” Person said.

She declined to name the companies that are
looking at the area, but said historically, Solano County is a point of
interest for Bay Area firms looking to relocate or expand operations.

The most recent of those contacts was an April
3 Vacaville site tour with a company under the label of Project Eagle.

The initial contact came through the
governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development – called GoBiz – and
Solano County made it to the next level, which was a site tour for
a firm that manufactures mega solar cells and solar modulars. It could
mean 920 jobs or more, Person said.

“We are going to know in the next month if we
make the next level, but projects can take a year,” she said.

Person also noted in her report another GoBiz
contact under the label of Project Blue Wave. It is for a
manufacturing firm that could mean 115 jobs or more. The Solano Economic
Development Corporation will submit a detailed package of information this
week.

The report also noted that Fairfield,
Vacaville, Dixon and Rio Vista are potential sites in a proposal submitted to a
food processing company that is looking to construct a 400,000-square-foot
plant with the potential of adding 140 or more jobs.

Finally, Person said that Fairfield
remains in the running for the location of a 100,000-square-foot food and
beverage manufacturing facility.